My dog has skin growths. What's the best way to diagnose and treat?

There's no way to know for sure from a photograph, but it does look like a bacterial infection. It is important to have this seen by your vet to determine what it is so the correct treatment can be started as soon as possible before it gets worse or is a sign of an underlying problem. Your vet will do an exam, possibly labwork, and based on these results will be better able to tell you what is causing this and how best to treat it.

The way to know if this is a problem or not is to have your vet do a fine needle aspirate and cytology, which takes cells from the growth to identify under a microscope. This way you can get a diagnosis and come up with a treatment plan. If it is cancerous, it will likely need to be removed surgically.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Suzie! It's hard to see the growth well from your picture and sadly a lot of skin growths can look the same, even benign vs cancerous ones. I always recommend that any new growths be evaluated by your Vet. Possible causes are: a skin infection, sebaceous adenoma, a wound or abscess, histiocytoma, mast cell tumor, etc. You can start with shaving the fur away from the growth, cleaning it twice daily with mild soap and water and then applying a triple antibiotic cream twice daily. If Suzie is licking the area use an E-collar to prevent that. If the area doesn't improve in a few days then have your Vet examine it. I hope this helps and I wish Suzie the best!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From the picture you provided, the fluid in these bumps you are expressing looks to be pus to me. If Isaac has not been on a course of antibiotics I would get him on a 3-4 week course of an antibiotic like cephalexin or cefpidoxime. Addutional to oral antibiotics, i would recommend the following: 1. Douxo PS chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until the infection is resolved 2. Welactin omega 3 fish oil 3. Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent If there is no improvement, I would recommend further testing such as culturing the material in the pustules and a skin biopsy. A visit to a veterinary dermatologist should be considered if your vet is unable to make a diagnosis as a second opinion from a specialist is always helpful in these puzzling dermatological cases. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.

These look to be burns but it could also be an autoimmune disease, fungal disease, cancer, bacterial infection, etc. There is no way for us to diagnose him over the internet just based on some photos. Obviously the home treatment is not working so it is best to have him evaluated by a veterinarian. This needs some testing and some more intensive treatment.

That appears to be a sebaceous adenoma - a benign skin growth. These are not concerning but can sometimes bleed or become infected. In that instance, it should be removed if it is causing constant issues.

Hi there. Unfortunately there are many different kinds of skin tumors/growths that dogs and get and it can be hard to tell what they are just by looking at them. I think it looks like a benign papilloma wart but you must understand that there is no way I can tell you that for sure. It could certainly be a life-threatening cancer. There is just no way to tell from a photo. I don't think it is an emergency but when you can get the funds together I suggest you have that checked out by your local vet especially if it continues to change (size, shape, etc). The growth does look irritated like he either scratched it or is biting at it. If that is the case you need to get him an E-collar (cone) to wear so he stops messing with it. If he continues to traumatize it then it may get infected. If he is not messing with it then I suggest you just leave it alone (no treatment) for now and just watch it. Hope this helps. Best wishes.